Laughter is the Best Exercise

Words by Katherine Castillo Eustaquio

When I first heard of Laughter Yoga, the first thing that popped into my head was a group of people doing elaborate yoga positions and laughing their heads off. Of course, I was wrong.

They say that laughter is the best medicine and prevention is better than cure. In a world where people resort to watching comedy flicks to lift their spirits, it seems that there’s another way to keep the laughter going—Laughter Yoga or Hasyayoga.

In March 1995, an Indian physician named Dr. Madan Kataria wrote an article titled “Laughter: The Best Medicine” for a local magazine. He was fascinated by a number of scientific studies he found on the benefits of laughter to the mind and body that he decided to take these insights for a test drive. He founded the first laughter club in Mumbai, India. It consisted of only five people, including his wife, who met regularly at a park near his home. They started swapping jokes to induce laughter but they soon ran out of funny stories to tell and members started to leave.

One of Kataria’s research materials mentioned that the body is unable to differentiate genuine laughter from a fake one, and the psychological and physiological effects are just the same because of the two release the same happy hormone called endorphins.

With this in mind, Kataria urged the group to laugh for no reason. It was so odd that Kataria’s friends laughed when they found out. When his wife, a yoga teacher, suggested they combine laughter with yogic breathing and clapping, Laughter Yoga began to take shape. “When you start laughing, your chemistry changes, your physiology changes, your chances of experience happiness are much greater,” Kataria says. Today, there are about 6000 Laughter Yoga Clubs in 60 countries.

Laughter is combined with yoga breathing techniques in order to bring more oxygen into the body, thus releasing tension, reducing stress, lowering the blood pressure, strengthening your lungs, and improving your mood and outlook. Laughter Yoga is intended to be practiced with a group. When two or more people start to laugh, even without the aid of humor, laughter is very contagious. Soon, everyone in the group follows suit.

In the Philippines, Laughter Yoga practitioners make use of laughing exercises that are empowering, enjoyable, and somewhat playful. Not only is it good for your mental well-being, but it’s also a great cardiac workout because it teaches you how to breathe deeply from the diaphragm. You don’t need to bring a yoga mat or wear yoga-appropriate clothes when you join them for a laughing session because you don’t need to contort your body into various yoga positions. All you have to do is come with an open mind and think of the group as your extended family with whom you can laugh your worries and stress away.